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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.N _

. r'OHN QUINCY ADAMS,.^ S / l: .the sixth President of the*ll /l W United States, I825-'9,M T I^ i Gwas born in the ruralhome of his honoredfather, John Adams, in ,A-} Q u in cy, Massachusetts,Bl JulyI Ir 1767. His mother,a woman of exalted worth,-1/d watched over his childhoodS during the almost constant,B)' absence of his father. Hecommenced his educationat the village school, givings *^ at an early period indicationsof superior mental endowments.When eleven years of age he sailed withhis father for Europe, where the latter wasassociated with Franklin and Lee as MinisterPlenipotentiary. The intelligence of JohnQuincy attracted the attention of these menand received from them flattering marks ofattention. Mr. Adams had scarcely returnedto this country in I779 ere he was againsent abroad, and John Quincy again accompaniedhim. On this voyage he commenceda diary. which practice he continued, withbut few interruptions, until his death. Hejourneyed with his father from Ferrol, inSpain, to Paris. Here he applied himselffor six months to study; then accompanied

his father to Holland, where he entered;first a school in Amsterdam, and then theUniversity of Leyden. In I781, when onlyfourteen years of age, he was selected byMr. Dana, our Minister to the Russiancourt, as his private secretary. In thisschool of incessant labor he spent fourteenmonths, and then returned alone to Hollandthrough Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg andBremen. Again he resumed his studiesunder a private tutor, at The Hague.In the spring of 1782 he accompanied hisfather to Paris, forming acquaintance withthe most distinguished men on the Continent.After a short visit to England, he returnedto Paris and studied until May,1785, when he returned to America, leavinghis father an embassador at the courtof St. James. In I786 he entered the juniorclass in Harvard University, and graduatedwith the second honor of his class.The oration he delivered on this occasion,the "Importance of Public Faith to theWell-being of a Community," was published-anevent very rare in this or anyother land.Upon leaving college at the age of twentyhe studied law three years with the Hon.Theophilus Parsons in Newburyport. InI790 he opened a law office in Boston. Theprofession was crowded with able men, and